


O’er the ocean o’er the sea

by eonator



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Mermaid, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Coffee Dad Sakura Sojiro, F/F, Good Parent Sakura Sojiro, Hurt/Comfort, Injury Recovery, Lesbian Sakura Futaba, Mentions of Blood, Mermaids exist and they will bite your arm off, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Siren Akechi Goro, Siren Kurusu Akira, Takes place in the 1840s, inspired by Moby-Dick, mermaid au, siren au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2020-10-24 18:01:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20710223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eonator/pseuds/eonator
Summary: Others might’ve called his tail ugly, nothing special. Sure it wasn’t a bright colour or smooth and delicate - quite the opposite in fact. It was large with large leafy protrusions going down his whole tail. Speckles of green and yellow merged together, creating the illusion of seaweed. Some might call it boring, but Akira wouldn’t have it any other way.Futaba had a pretty boring life, though she wouldn't dare try to change it. Living up by the ocean in her small cottage - it was only her and her Father figure. Sure, there had been some strange things happening, but what she didn't expect to find was the siren who she had seen previously the day before seriously hurt and lying defenceless on the cold winter shore. Sojiro would go mental, but every bone in her body was screaming at the red-haired girl to do something.Or, how Futaba ended up with a feral mermaid step-brother.





	1. Chapter 1

> _ “The fairest boy I ever saw _
> 
> _ Courted me upon the shore _
> 
> _ His hair was black his eyes were green _
> 
> _ The fairest boy I ever saw _
> 
> _ O’er the ocean o’er the sea _
> 
> _ Bring my bonny boy back to me _
> 
> _ O’er the ocean o’er the sand _
> 
> _ Bring my bonny boy back to land. _
> 
> _ I wish I were a flying dove _
> 
> _ I’d take the air and find my love _
> 
> _ And ask the moon and stars for light _
> 
> _ To guide me to his arms tonight.” _

> _ “O’er the ocean o’er the sea _
> 
> _ Bring my bonny boy back to me _
> 
> _ O’er the ocean o’er the sand _
> 
> _ Bring my bonny boy back to land. _
> 
> _ I’ll watch the waves I’ll watch the sky _
> 
> _ Until I see his boat sail by _
> 
> _ And when at last he steps ashore _
> 
> _ We’ll dance beneath the stars once more. _
> 
> _ O’er the ocean o’er the sea _
> 
> _ Bring my bonny boy back to me _
> 
> _ O’er the ocean o’er the sand _
> 
> _ Bring my bonny boy back to land. _
> 
> _ O’er the ocean o’er the sea _
> 
> _ Bring my bonny boy back to me _
> 
> _ O’er the ocean o’er the sand _
> 
> _ Bring my bonny boy back to land.” _

* * *

The thunderous echo of barings and oars ripped through the air, matched together with the raspy roar of men standing on the decks. Rain pelted down on the group, soaking through their leather and cloth. In the moonlight, only the light from the oil-lamps and the whites of their eyes could be seen. All around them, the vast expanse of the sea - it swallowed all light. 

“Bring me another lamp down!” A deep voice called out, a man leaned over the side of the ship. Wiping sea-spray from his face, he turned to look at the men nearby. “Don’t just stand there! Get a net ready.” He hissed. 

Soon enough, a large lamp was provided, which cast a bright glow from the large flame inside. Thrusting his arm forwards, the man shone the light into the deep ocean below. 

“Get it, ready men!” He yelled. 

In the deep, something moved. A flicker of activity, a small shine of scales. In the motion, there was a glance of bright _ yellow. _

“Where is that damn net!?” The man yelled out again, getting even angrier. “Does someone have my harpoon?” 

“Y-yes, sir!” 

Handing the large oil-lamp to the man next to him, the leader greedily grasped the large spear handed over to him. Tracing his fingers over the edge of the sharp harpoon, he raised it high above his shoulder. “Keep the light on it.” He growled under his breath. 

The creature in the water stopped for a moment, looking up - as if to question the activity above. Narrowing its large yellow eyes, it waited for the man to make his move. 

“Keep it steady!” Focusing his eyes, the man tensed up his raised arm ready to fire. The creature for a moment breached the surface, lifting its head in confusion - revealing matted black tendrils of hair. Pulling his arm back, the man let out a final guttural yell before launching the spear into the rough ocean. 

Wide eyes darting around, the creature reacted and tried to get away in time. A shrill cry echoed out through the air, with the splatter of frantic fins and hands. A metal _ shill _rang out before the harpoon sunk down into the water. 

“Did you get it?” A man in the back cried out. Gritting his teeth, the man placed both hands on the side of the ship. “No, just grazed it.” He spat out. “Still- Get that net ready!” He commanded 

The net was massive, held up by multiple men. Held up above their heads, they hastily threw it into the ocean. The creature was still occupied by the previous attack, it didn’t even notice the net before it was entrapped within it. 

Writhing in the wire around it, each breath and each movement onto tightened the string and rope around its body and tail. Letting out a deep growl, each movement got more and more frantic. Like a scared animal, focused on survival. 

“We got it, boys!” The man grinned. “Come on then, pull it in!” 

Soon enough, the large net was brought back into the boat. In a wet heap, the creature was exposed and open for everyone to see. Bright yellow eyes, hidden under wet hair. The dull growl was now replaced by a shrill yell, the creature twisting and coiling around in the net. A small crowd formed around the net, all the men staring down and jeering at the scared creature. Thick tendrils laid flat on the sodden ground, like piles of seaweed. A faint glimmer of yellow and green scales flashed in the moonlight. 

Pushing the men away, the leader crouched down next to the trapped creature. “Leave this to me, I'll put an end to it.” He grinned. Cheers and yells echoed around him, which only got louder and louder as he pulled a knife out of his pocket. “Alright then, it’s time you _ siren _died.” He spat out. 

With his spare hand, he carefully pulled the net away from the creature. The metal of the blade shining in the moonlight, he raised it up ready to strike down. 

Crying out, the siren coiled around and wriggled onto its back, before bringing its massive tail down onto the side of the man. Knocking the air out of him, he couldn’t help but fall onto his backside. In a split-second, the creature ripped out of the net and launched straight for him. Baring razor-sharp teeth, it quickly sunk its teeth into the side of his arm. 

“Agh- you stupid-” The man cried out, trying to free his arm from the barrage of needle-like teeth sinking into his arm- but the siren only held on deeper, wrapping both of its thin arms around as its teeth sunk in more. A muffled hissing noise came from the creature, who glared up to look at the man with its bright, yellow eyes. There was no fear inside them, only anger and will. It was as if the creature was challenging him to fight back. Here, one on one - there was no competition. 

Finally, after what felt like hours - another man came over with a large bat and swung point-blank at the creature, ripping it from the arm of the older man. Curling onto its side, the siren took one more look at the man before shifting and leaping back into the ocean. 

“Are you alright, Mr Shido?” Slowly getting back up to his feet, the man tentatively looked over the wound now bleeding from his arm. Pushing away other men trying to help him, Shido staggered over to the door leading inside, a furious expression on his face. 

“That stupid monster, thinking it could best me? I’ll show it, I'll show what happens when you try to defy Masayoshi Shido!”

* * *

Diving back into the cold ocean was a comfort Akira couldn’t take for granted. That was too close, too close for his liking. Without looking back, he swam deeper into the dark water - away from the men with their bright lights and sharp spears. 

A dull sting pulsed through his body, emanating from the gash that made its home in his shoulder. Still, that was the least of his problems right now. They had seen him, seen his face and in his blind fear - he had attacked the supposed leader of the group of poachers. 

He had metaphorically placed his hand into the lion's den, almost beckoning the strange men to come back to finish what they had started. Still, what else could’ve he done? Just let them win and kill him? No, Akira wouldn’t let that happen. 

The cold water slowly made its way into the gash, numbing and cooling it down. It wasn’t too much of a problem, he healed quickly. But, it did mean staying low for the next few days. So that meant little to no hunting, no foraging and no _ singing. _

Sure, it wouldn’t kill him to shut up for a while, but its deep in the core of each siren to sing, as natural as humans breathing in air. Like an itch, it would need to be scratched. Akira did think he had it easier compared to others, he was honestly - very shy. Singing to him meant humming whilst cleaning seashells or whistling when watching the morning ships set out from the docks. Compared to the more flashy types, it was nothing compared to singing your heart out from a rock - though, who really did that anymore? 

Maybe people still did that, but Akira hadn’t really seen it for himself. But that could be related to the lack of other sirens around the coastline he made his home. Normally, they were quite territorial - quick to chase off anyone treading on their land. So maybe others sang more often, but for him what he did was plenty enough. 

Finally, the lights of the ship were soon fading away and the waves that crashed against the belly of the ship slowed down and the water all around him got quiet and still. Making his way down to the depths of the rocky ocean, using the moonlight as a guide on where to swim. His eyes were perfectly suited to the darkness, a sickly yellow colour. Looking around the sharp rocks and tentacles of seaweed, he made himself to a small break in the cliffside. 

His gills perfectly filtering the water, he carefully swam between gagged rocks and tight corners. Finally reaching light, he breached the surface. 

Letting the oxygen fill his nose and mouth, he let his gills rest for a while. Only keeping his head out of the water, he warily scanned the small cave he had just entered. A small pocket of air, moonlight flooding in through the small hole above. The light shimmered on the jagged walls and ceiling of the small cave, shimmering as the water filtered and entered through the entrance Akira had just swum through. 

Reaching his hand up to his head, he carefully brushed back his fringe away from his eyes, which narrowed with curiosity as he scanned the area. Determining it as safe, the siren let out a small sigh of relief as he climbed up onto one of the small rocks jutting out of the water. 

_ “That was too close.” _He thought to himself, looking over to the gash on his shoulder. Now finally still, he had a better chance to examine the wound. Tentatively placing both hands over the gash, he was relieved to find it was pretty shallow. The harpoon had only brushed his side, he was lucky it didn’t impale him. He was one of the fortunate ones. 

Before, there used to be many more sirens around. But now, he was the only one. 

Wincing as the cold air touched the wound, he looked around for something to help tie it up. Flickering his eyes, he finally settled on a strand of kelp by his side. Cold and slimy, it was sure to relieve his pain. 

But before he could tie it around his shoulder and arm, he swiftly removed the small bag that was tied with rope from his unharmed shoulder. A drenched and frayed small satchel that he _ found _not long ago, he didn’t dare look to see if it had an owner. It was quite useful, small enough to not disrupt his swimming but the perfect size to hold anything interesting he might find when travelling around. 

Opening it up, he flashed a sharp-toothed grin and the collection of interesting things he had found. Luckily nothing had been lost in the previous fight since every single thing he found was important to himself. Inside were a few small seashells he’d have to clean later, a small four spiked utensil that might aid in combing his hair and a small mirror, that he had found near the bay next to the surface. 

It was pretty simple in design but had something etched on the back in a language he couldn’t decipher. He wasn’t sure why he decided to keep it, but he was glad to have it. Smiling to himself, he looked over to the seaweed nearby. _ “Oh yeah, the kelp.” _

Tying the seaweed around his arm tightly, he made sure it wouldn’t fall soon. Slowly starting to feel better, the adrenaline that was pumping through his body was quickly draining away leaving the boy pretty tired. Hoisting his massive tail up onto the rock next to him, he carefully smoothed down all the wrinkles and picked away any stones that had become lodged in his scales. 

Others might’ve called his tail ugly, nothing special. Sure it wasn’t a bright colour or smooth and delicate - quite the opposite in fact. It was large with large leafy protrusions going down his whole tail. Speckles of green and yellow merged together, creating the illusion of seaweed. Some might call it boring, but Akira wouldn’t have it any other way. 

It came with many advantages, mind you. First of all, it helped to stay hidden - which was integral for hunting and avoiding the eyes of dangerous humans. Though, that wasn’t very useful this night. 

He hadn't expected a poaching boat this late in the night, and even then he had tried his best to stay hidden. But, they found him and for a moment he thought they were going to kill him. That man, the one with the large blade in his hands. For an instant, he felt powerless. He could hear every single horrible insult they spat at him, and the whole time he was powerless to respond. All he could do was growl and try his best to break free. 

Exhausted, Akira placed his hand to his neck where a small necklace sat. An oyster shell bound by a thin rope, he carefully held it in the palm of his hand. Closing his eyes, he leaned back onto a curtain of kelp and seaweed, looking up at the moon above. 

For now, he was safe - and that was all that he needed. 

* * *

“Futaba, it’s time for you to get up!” 

Ugh. Mornings were the _ worst. _Futaba knew and fully embraced that mentality. Rolling onto her front, she smothered her face into her pillow in a futile attempt to block out the inevitable. Come on, just a little bit longer. Please. 

“I know you can hear me, I need to go to town soon.” 

This was the daily ritual in the Sakura household, a slow dance they continued to partake in every morning. A slow whine eased out of the muffled pillow, and the red-head raised her head slightly. Looking to the side, she had a perfect view of the ocean - just outside her window. Despite that awful storm last night, it seemed to have calmed down as the sun rose. Sure, it was overcast and there was still a bitter chill outside but anything was better than torrential rain.

“Give me a moment, I'm up I'm up!” Futaba whined, slowly sitting up on her bed. Bringing her knees up to her chest, she mentally counted down from ten before finally rising from her bed. 

“Don’t say that if you’re still in bed!” 

Tripping over her feet, Futaba sleepily walked over to her closet. “I’m not still in bed, I swear Sojiro!” She yelled. Quickly pulling whatever she could grab first out, she was soon all dressed and somewhat ready to take on the day. The floorboards creaking as she walked around the room in haste, she made her way over to the window facing the beach. 

Their house was simple, a small cottage on the cliffside. Far enough from the fishing village nearby to feel private but not too far away to walk to the town every morning. Well, Futaba didn’t do that but Sojiro did to open up shop. Running a small tavern in the backstreets, Leblanc was quiet but had a protective group of regular customers. It was enough to keep the small bar open all these years. 

Lifting the latch from the side of the window frame, Futaba opened the window to get some fresh air into the dusty room. The strong odour of salt spray filled her lungs and immediately made her feel more awake compared to before. 

“Alright, I'm coming down!” Futaba called out as she walked over to the door, making her way down the stairs leading to the kitchen directly under her own room. As usual, Sojiro was hovering over a cup of coffee and a small place of homemade curry. “Here you go, Futaba.” He turned around and placed both on the wooden table in the middle of the room. 

“Ah, you’re the best!” Futaba drooled as the clambered for a chair. Already picking up a spoon even before she was sitting down, she hungrily dove into her breakfast. “Amazing as usual!” She mumbled through a full mouth. 

Sighing, Sojiro went back to stirring his own cup of coffee. “Futaba, what have I said about speaking with your mouth full?” He chided. 

Still spooning in mouthfuls of curry, the young girl shrugged. “Not to do it?” She grinned. “But, it just wastes time waiting to speak after eating, I mean I have stuff to do y’know?” 

“Talking about that, are you coming down to Leblanc today?” Sojiro asked, as per usual. 

Each morning was the same, the older man would ask and Futaba would politely decline. It was always the same, she was busy, or tired. And each time he would ask, just in the hope that maybe _ one day _she would say yes. And until that day arrives, he will continue to ask her. 

“Oh, I was planning on going to the beach again today.” Futaba declined, already finishing up her plate of curry. “That was great as usual!” She grinned, standing back up. 

“I do wonder, what is it you even do out there on the beach?”

Futaba quickly reached for her coat and draped it over her shoulders. “Nothing much, just looking for shells and dipping my toes into the water.” She explained. 

Sojiro looked at her with confusion. “But it’s nearly winter, the water will only be getting colder. I don’t want you getting frostbite or something.” 

“Geez, I won’t. Promise!” Futaba looked back to the older man and stuck her tongue out in response. “I’ll bring my shoes anyway, the stones on the way to the beach are sharp.” 

Sojiro picked up his now empty cup, cleaning the inside with a white cloth. “Alright then, I must open shop soon. I’ll be back in the afternoon.” 

“See you later Sojiro!~” Futaba waved him off in a sing-song voice. Waiting for the man to leave and close the door leading outside, she made her way back upstairs to her room. 

Sighing, Futaba picked up the small bag sitting by her bed. She opened up the duffle, digging deep inside. After a few moments, she groaned and closed it again. “Yeah, I thought it wouldn’t be there.” She sighed. 

“Welp, I guess it would be better to look back on the beach.” 

No-one would ever say anything nice about the beach, it wasn’t exactly paradise. Born from a long-unused shipping port, large shards of wood jutted out of the water, tinged green from moss and growing kelp. The murky water rising up and down constantly. In the distance, sharp rocks could be seen leading to the cliffside on the side. 

Walking down to the beach, Futaba held her shoes in her hands, before placing them down away from the water. Now looking back at the ocean, she noticed how choppy the water was today. “I guess the storm still hasn’t fully left then.” She wondered to herself. 

It did seem rougher than what she saw back at the house, so going into the water didn’t seem like a good idea. Though, even if she had dropped the mirror in the water it would’ve been washed away hours ago. So, if it wasn’t still on the beach it was a lost cause. 

“This sucks, why did I have to go and lose it?” Futaba sighed, picking up a small stone from the ground. Looking back at the foamy water, she nonchalantly threw the stone into the ocean. “Sorry, mum…” 

Before going back to searching, Futaba heard an annoyed hiss from the distance. Confused, but somewhat interested - she looked back to the shoreline. “What..?” She mumbled to herself. 

At first, she couldn’t spot anything but after straining her eyes slightly, she saw a small black figure in the distance. Confused, she took another step forward. She soon noticed that whatever it was, it had a full head of knotted black hair. Two wide yellow eyes shined from behind the bangs. 

“Woah, what the hell…?” Futaba was confused, but she couldn’t help but feel interested in the strange figure. Was this what all the people in town were talking about?

She didn’t like going into town, but once every few weeks Sojiro forced her to come along with him for grocery shopping. Each time she was there people kept on talking about monsters and creatures in the Ocean. There was that one man, who seemed awfully popular, Shido was his name. It seemed like everyone enjoyed being around him, and there was some talk about him becoming mayor of the village. But for now, Futaba only knew that he was the manager of the fishing company that the majority of the town worked for. Sojiro was one of the few who didn’t have any interest in it, he liked working in his tavern too much. 

So this thing in the water, it wasn’t a seal or a fish. She didn’t know much about the rumours but she soon came to the conclusion that this must be a siren! 

But didn’t Siren normally sing? 

“Hey, fishy guy!” Futaba yelled, cupping her hands around her mouth. The Siren flinched and started to look away for an escape. “Wait- no don’t go, I want to ask you something!” Futaba continued. 

The creature froze, before slowly looking back to the red-haired girl. Futaba could see it better, it looked more human than she had expected. Honestly, she wasn’t sure what she was expecting - she didn’t even believe that they existed. 

Though, her mother certainly did. Well, this wasn’t the time to worry about that. Interested in the strange creature, Futaba took a step into the water - which only lapped at her heels. “Have you by chance seen a small mirror around here?” She asked. 

The Siren stayed still but widened its eyes slightly. Looking down to the water for a second, it backed away. “Wait- no don’t go yet!” Futaba insisted. “Have you seen it, I dropped it around here. It belonged to my mother.” 

The creature didn’t say anything, quickly dipping its head back under the water. “No dice, eh?” Futaba sighed, watching as the Siren faded back into the ocean. Turning around, she decided that it would be better just going back home. Maybe it was at home, or she could find another one - she didn’t want to annoy Sojiro. Sighing, she took a few steps out of the water before something hard hit the back of her head. 

“Ouch!” She hissed, whipping her head back around to the Ocean. The siren wasn’t there, but at her feet was a small metal mirror, one she recognised instantly. It was her mother's mirror. Her breath hitched, as she leaned down to pick it up. Slightly rough from stray grains of sand, she traced her fingers over the carved message on the back. 

Futaba couldn’t help but grin to herself, despite the grief bubbling in her chest. She glanced back up, even though the Siren was nowhere to be seen. 

“Thank you, fish-boy!”


	2. Chapter 2

Futaba was ready with questions the moment Sojiro walked back through the door. Sitting upon one of the seats nearby, she kept her knees close to her chest. Eyeing him as he walked past quietly, she nearly gave him a heart attack as she called at him. 

“Hey, Sojiro!” She nearly yelled, raising her head slightly. Quickly gaining his bearings again, the older man shot a tired glare at the redhead. 

“Afternoon. didn’t expect you to be down here. Aren’t you normally back in your room by now?” He asked. Placing his coat on the rack, he turned to look at the girl. “You look like you want to ask me something.” 

“Sojiro, do you believe in mermaids?” She innocently asked. 

Instinctively tensing up, Sojiro just stared at Futaba. Not saying anything for a few seconds, Sojiro finally let his shoulders dropdown. “What, of course not.” He sighed, looking over to the kitchen. “I’m going to make some coffee.” 

Was that it? Futaba wasn’t satisfied with the answer. Stalking him into the next room, she kept her eyes fixated on her surrogate father. “Are you sure?” She spoke up again. “Doesn’t everyone in town keep on talking about them?” Though she didn’t go into town often, it wasn’t hard to catch glimpses of people talking about the mythical creatures. They all seemed obsessed with it. 

“Can’t say I have, honestly.” Sojiro picked up a clean cup, bringing it to the hot stove where the water was boiling. “Though, I don’t stay up to date with the newest trends these days.” 

“Seriously? They’re all talking about it!” Futaba whined, leaning over to rest her head on the wooden table. 

Sojiro glanced over to her. “Why are you even mentioning it now of all times? Did the craze get to you as well?” He chided. 

“No…” Futaba mumbled, looking down at the grain in the table. Sighing, she wrapped her hands around her hair. “Sojiro,  _ hypothetically _ \- just asking, would you be mad if they did exist?” She tentatively asked. 

“They don’t exist, so there’s no reason to think about it.” Sojiro firmly replied, still watching the water on the stove. “Let’s stop talking about it. There’s some leftover curry in the storage, have some if you're hungry.” 

Annoyed at the sudden change of topic, Futaba slowly got to her feet. “I’m not hungry, I'm going upstairs.” She grumbled. Not looking back as she left the room, Futaba couldn’t help but feel annoyed at Sojros reply. 

“They do exist. I know it.” She muttered to herself. She had just seen one, today! Didn’t he at least hear all the talking in town, some of his customers must’ve mentioned it. And why wouldn’t he believe in it? Maybe it was because of her seeing one, but Futaba found it hard to imagine someone not believing in it. 

“I’ll show him, I'll get proof!” Futaba decided, finally reaching her room. Suddenly exhausted, she strolled over to her bed and let herself fall onto the soft pillows. Letting out a quiet sigh of comfort and relief. “Maybe I could show him the mermaid.” Futaba thought to herself, before scrunching her brow up in annoyance. “No. It would get scared off by his old face.” She grimaced. Blinking and looking to her side, she saw the small pocket mirror the mermaid had found and returned to her that morning. Stretching over, she picked it up in her hands. 

A gift from her mother, before she had died. Futaba wasn’t sure what to think about the creature, but she was grateful to have her mirror back. Bringing it to her chest, Futaba closed her eyes as she thought about the day. “I would like to say thank you to it, or give something back as a reward.” 

“But, what do fish-people even like? Shells, or maybe coral?” She wondered. She could go back to the beach tomorrow to find some shells, and she might even catch another glimpse of the mermaid! “Alrighty then! That’s a plan.” She smiled to herself, before placing the mirror back on the small table. 

Secretly, she was pretty excited for the chance to see the creature again, something new in this town was rare - even more so for Futaba. She didn’t care what everyone else thought, she needed to see this mermaid again. It didn’t seem unintelligent, but she assumed it was unable to talk. “If I was going to meet it again, I'd have to work around that issue.” 

Maybe this was going to be harder than she had expected. 

* * *

The moonlight filtered slowly into the ocean, casting shadows and small pockets of light at the sandy base of the water. It was pleasantly quiet, perfect for a nightly hunt. 

Akira didn’t expect to be seen earlier, but it could’ve ended up worse. The human girl didn’t seem afraid or violent, so a whole platoon of fishermen looking for him was unlikely. But still, he did like that mirror! 

But, he just couldn’t let himself keep it knowing that the girl had originally owned it. He would’ve just felt guilty afterwards, and Akira was too busy dealing with other issues to also juggle emotional problems. He did have a feeling it was already owned when he had originally found it, but finding the owner was not one of his plans. Still, deep inside he felt like he had done the right thing. 

Slowly drifting through the ocean, Akira scouted the seabed for any small fish or crabs to hopefully catch and consume. He wasn’t built for speed, but in this environment, he didn’t need to be. The seabed was full of lush kelp and seaweed, forming a large forest underwater. Due to his tail having a similar appearance to the surrounding foliage, he had a knack for stalking and hiding from his prey. Like a thief, he would slowly swim through the seaweed, getting as close to his prey as possible before leaping forward for the catch. 

Sure, that wasn’t needed for slower things, like crabs - but he prefered the taste of raw fish. Honestly, none of it was that good but he still liked to have a choice. Luckily, the aforementioned lack of other Siren nearby helped to counter any lack of prey. 

Hunching his shoulders, the siren boy stilled in the foliage, nearly fading into the background perfectly. Waiting for anything edible to come nearby, Akira let his mind wander a bit. 

He hadn’t interacted with people often, and he normally liked to keep it like that. He was pretty shy already and how most people reacted to his kind only made that worse. The close call from the night before only made that worse, the dull background pain in his arm only helped to remind him about that. But, he didn’t feel too bad when that girl had seen him. 

Sure, he left quickly but he didn’t feel like she was going to swim over and throttle him. He even felt happy enough to give back one of his treasures. That was rare. Thinking about it, Akira couldn’t help but chortle - small bubbles flowing out of his nose and gills. 

But he wasn’t planning on being all pally-pally with humans anytime soon. Not even with that unique girl. He couldn’t, even if he wanted to. It wasn’t safe, and only asking for danger and death. Survival was the most important thing here. 

A slight flicker of activity before him quickly brought Akira back to reality, noticing a small fish nearby. A suitable meal, he had decided quickly enough. Lowering his head slightly, he started to bunch his muscles up - ready to leap and strike. Turning his lips up to reveal needle-sharp teeth, Akira kept his eyes focused on the fish and was almost ready to strike. 

But before he could catch the fish, something not far away scared it away. Unsure of what just cost him his meal, Akira slowly poked his head out of the maze of seaweed. “ _ It was probably a seal or something.”  _ He thought to himself, slightly annoyed. If it was a seal, he wasn’t planning on wasting his time fighting it. 

Sighing at his failed attempt, Akira turned around to go back inside the seaweed. But, before he dipped his head back in something moved in his peripheral vision. A flicker of scales and a flash of black and white. 

Suddenly he knew what it was. Ancestral urges and territorial desires pumped through his blood and straight away he focused all senses on it. Like a wild animal, he shot out of the protective haven of the kelp and into the open water. “ _ Why is there another siren here!?”  _ He frantically thought to himself. 

A few tail-lengths away floated another siren, with a sleek tail of black and white. It was the complete opposite to Akiras sluggish and more defensive tail. The siren was too far away to clearly see his face, but from where Akira floated he could tell it was a boy of a similar age to himself. 

Now, Akira really didn’t know what to do in the situation of finding another siren. In the majority of his life, he had been alone. But even without being told he  _ knew  _ that protecting his territory was paramount. He didn’t know what this other siren wanted, but he didn’t like to wait to find out. 

Clenching his teeth together, Akira bared his fangs before letting out a warbled growl of confusion and wariness. Distorted through the water, he wasn’t sure if the other boy had heard him. But his clear defensive posture and behaviour would be clear enough, voice or not. 

In the distance, the other siren looked over to Akira - before turning away and quickly gliding away in a sleek motion with his tail. As if beckoning him to follow, Akira narrowed his eyes and started to swim after the unknown siren. 

Trying to follow him, Akira cautiously swam over to where the other siren was originally floating. Placing his hands on a nearby jagged rock, he craned his head to the side to see where the black and white siren had gone. He instinctively would’ve wanted to rush over and snap at the potential danger to his turf, but just by looking at the other siren he knew he’d be outmatched in speed. The moonlight pooled around him and looked to bounce around the rocks nearby. 

Every time he got closer the other siren seemed to just disappear, always having the upper hand. Pushing his hands off the rock, he noticed the other siren was rising higher and closer to the surface of the ocean. Confused, he slowly got closer. At this point he got a better look at the other boy, he had a somewhat long mop of brown hair framing his face. But, he still couldn’t clearly see his face - it was too blurry at this distance. 

He hoped that he wouldn’t need to fight, maybe the other siren would leave without conflict. Fighting the fire warming up his blood, ready to spar - Akira got even closer than previously, but before he could reach out his hand the other siren backed away. A small, sharp smile could slightly be seen from behind the ever-flowing mop of brown hair. 

The water above Akira rippled suddenly and a thunderous roar ripped through his senses. A sharp pain shot through his abdomen and in the flurry of blood and water, the other siren quickly swam away. Blinking away bubbles from his eyelids, Akira found himself alone. 

Only at this point did he notice the hull of a small boat not far away, the darkness of the night and his attention on the other siren hid it away in plain sight. Cursing himself, Akira warily looked down to the source of the pain. 

“ _ Did that other siren lure me to that boat?”  _ Akira dared to assume, noticing the ever-quickening pool of blood that was starting to collect around him. He quickly decided that getting away from here would be the best option, but only as he tried to flick his tail did he find something that quickly made his blood run cold. 

He was trapped in a snare. Whilst swimming towards the other siren, he had neither noticed the nearby boat or the thin white string that was floating in the water. A simple trap, something used for large fish or seals. The sharp pain circulated through his body was soon sourced to be from the sharp wire that was now wrapped around both his abdomen and his whole tail. Constricting his already hindered movement, all Akira could do was look up to the hull of the boat - waiting for their next move. 

The hull rocked slightly from side to side, someone moving above the surface. The last thing Akira needed was another harpoon shot at him, this time they couldn’t miss him. He knew what they were going to use, a harpoon created to bring down whales. 

Akira needed to get out of this wire, that was the only way to survive. Frantically, he brought his head down attempting to gnaw through the wire. “ _ Come on, break!”  _ He thought to himself frantically. 

The metal only got tighter and tighter as he wriggled around, biting and piercing his skin and scales. The wire rubbed against his sharp teeth, rubbing his gums raw. It was no use, it wouldn’t break away. 

Panting, the siren was quickly growing tired and frustrated. “ _ I can’t go out like this! _ ” He frantically thought, growling to himself. “ _ Why was that other siren here, and why was it seemingly working with the humans?”  _

Akira didn’t understand why this was happening to him. He hadn’t done anything to the humans, he even gave back something to one that same day! Why were they so hellbent on killing his kind? He never had any urge to mess with them, he just wanted to quietly survive. 

Another creak from above, the hull of the boat rocking heavily on one side. Someone was leaning over the edge of the boat. Through the moonlight, a large shadow could be seen from above. Holding his breath, Akira was helpless to watch as the ever-familiar glint of a whaling harpoon was directed straight at him. 

This wasn’t fair. Fate wasn’t fair. 

Soon enough the water split apart before him, the sharp metallic pole shooting through the cold ocean. One final attempt at survival, Akira begged for his muscles and trapped tail to work - straining against the sharp wire biting into it. Pulling his head back and hoping for his body to follow, he tried to get away from the harpoon. 

Another blinding pain wracked through his tail, the harpoon lodged in the base of his tail. Crying out in anger and pain, Akira could feel his whole body being weighed down by the large weapon. He could be thankful that it didn’t hit any vital organs, but there was no way to get it out of his tail. This had only blessed him was a slower death. 

The boat above seemed satisfied, slowly sailing away - back to the coast. They didn’t even want to bless him with a swift end, instead of leaving him to die alone. Akira only felt blinding anger toward the land-dwellers. He had never done anything to them, yet they still ruthlessly tried to kill him. It was unfair. 

Alone and quickly growing colder and colder, the siren couldn’t do much but wait for his eventual demise - tied up and left for dead. 

**Author's Note:**

> Well what do we have here? I just was looking at fish and I couldn't help to start this au!  
For anyone interested, Akira is based on the leafy seadragon! 
> 
> If you wanna scream at me bout this au you can find me on twitter and tumblr!  
https://satoshigekk0uga.tumblr.com  
https://twitter.com/ddreamdrop


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